Is Peng real?

Minh-Hoang Nguyen

02-10-2025

Created by Copilot

Zhuangzi sits by the lake, watching the wind ripple the water. Kingfisher lands nearby, eyes curious.

“You speak of Peng,” says Kingfisher. “But you’ve never seen that enormous bird. How do you know Peng is real?”

Zhuangzi smiles. “I don’t need to see him. I imagine him.”

Kingfisher tilts his head. “I dive. I catch fish. I know what’s real because I touch it. You dream. Is that knowing?”

Zhuangzi chuckles. “You know the water. I know the dream. Different ways of knowing.”

“But what about what we don’t know?” asks Kingfisher. “The things neither of us can see, understand, or guess?”

Zhuangzi nods. “That’s the mystery. The Dao (道) lives there. In the unknown after getting rid of the known.”

“So your Peng is no more real than my fish. And your knowing is no better than mine.” Kingfisher mumbles. “Then maybe imagination matters more than facts.”

“What we don’t know is bigger and, therefore, fortunate as it powers our imagination,” says Zhuangzi. “And, imagination lets us fly, without even lifting a toe. That’s why this human world needs Peng.”

They sit quietly. The lake shimmers. The sky says nothing. But both feel the Dao moving in the stillness.

Suddenly, Kingfisher can imagine himself as Peng. His version of “Wandering Far and Unfettered” appears even more vivid than Zhuang’s classic one for a reason Master Zhuang can’t imagine. Kingfisher can imagine how Kun transforms into Peng, which can also be called the Dao (道).

References

[1] Vuong QH. (2024). Wild Wise Weird. https://books.google.com/books?id=N10jEQAAQBAJ

[2] Zhuang Zhou. (1964). Zhuangzi.

[3] Laozi. (1868). Tao Te Ching.